Sharks split round at Parramatta in WABL

The Parramatta Wildcats senior men's team has won its "top of the ladder" clash with the Sutherland Sharks, the reigning premiers of the Waratah Australian Basketball League (WABL), by 93-78 on Saturday night at the Auburn Basketball Stadium.  Both sides were without key players on the night, with the Sharks missing 'starting-five' duo Brendan Gleeson and Rod Proctor, whilst the Wildcats were without star guard Anto Lalic.

The Sharks women had won the preliminary game on the night, defeating a very inexperienced Wildcats team 81-45. Sharks head coach Paul Lindeberg praised the efforts of his younger players, as the youngsters stepped up with aplomb alongside the veterans to totally dominate the winless Wildcats.

Lindeberg said "We are doing the right thing with our promotion of local juniors from the Sharks Academy and it's very satisfying to see the young players step up when they get the opportunity. This has been a reasonable season for us - we're sitting just outside the top six but at least four to five games have been close results, which could have gone in our favour"

PHOTOS: Action from the men's Sharks v Wildcats Game; Exciting Sharks youngster Melinda Bartlett in action against the Wildcats - photos by Noel Rowsell (www.photoexcellence.com.au)

The Sharks men made all of the early running in the second game of the night, easily containing the Wildcats starting five and running up an impressive early lead. Sharks head coach Phil Vannan had earlier lamented the absence of two of his starters (Gleeson and Proctor), as this had been one of the most-anticipated and most talked about games of the season.

"I would have liked to have met them (Wildcats) at full strength, to really get an idea of where we both sit at this stage of the season," said Vannan before the game.

Fortune would turn in favour of the Wildcats late in the first term with the introduction of their ever-energetic sixth-man Charles Bloemen. The energetic Bloemen ignited the home team on a withering scoring run, which would see the two teams locked at 23-23 at the end of the first quarter.

The Wildcats maintained that momentum to gradually build up a small eleven-point margin at the end of the second term (53-41) and increased the lead to fifteen points (76-61) by the end of the third term.
Not content to let themselves be taken lightly, the Sharks again showed great character to keep within striking distance and when the margin closed to just eight points (80-72), late in the final term, it looked as the game could swing in either direction.
Unfortunately, Bloemen would again provide the Wildcats with a winning edge, throwing himself into the fray with abandon to push the Wildcats on yet another point-scoring free-for-all and a 15-point victory.
The two senior Sharks teams host the Hornsby Spiders at the Sutherland Basketball Stadium this Saturday night, with the women's game tipping off at 3pm and the men's game at 5pm.

WOMEN: Sutherland Sharks 81 (Merle Hall 22 points, 9 boards; Courtney Dean 12 points, 11 boards; Sheridan Wilson 11 points) defeated Parramatta Wildcats 45

MEN: Parramatta Wildcats 93 defeated Sutherland Sharks 78 (Steven Hall 20 points, Blake Henricks 17, Petar Cvejitcanin 12, Brendan Clowry 11)

For more Sutherland basketball stories go to:  http://sportslive.com.au/index.pl?page=2131  

Sutherland Sharks in Australian University Basketball Teams

Basketball Australia (BA) has announced the athletes selected to represent Australia in basketball at the 2009 World University Games in July. The two teams include 6 players from Sydney with 3 from the Sutherland Sharks and 1 each from Northern Suburbs, Manly Warringah and Hornsby.

The World University Summer Games (WUSG) are held every two years under the banner of the International University Sports Federation (FISU) and in 2009 will be held in Belgrade, Serbia from July 1-12.

The women's team contains eight athletes and three coaches from the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) while the men's team contains two athletes from the National Basketball League (NBL), with the remaining Australian players sourced from American universities.

The most represented university is St. Mary's College of California, the current residence of Australian Boomer Patty Mills, with three athletes followed by America's Nicholls State University and Victoria's Monash University with two athletes apiece.

The women's team will be coached by Townsville Fire Head Coach Peter Buckle while the men's team will be coached by former Sydney Kings Assistant Coach and current Australian Boomers Network Coach Bill Tomlinson.

Australia is the reigning WUSG Gold Medallist in the women's competition, having defeated Russia in the final of the 2007 event when coached by now-Opals coach Carrie Graf, while the men's team finished the 2007 event in seventeenth place.

The women's team will undergo a training camp at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) from May 18-20 while the men's team will join the Australian Boomers at a training camp at the same venue from June 20-24 prior to departure for Europe.

Australian Universities Women's Basketball Team:
Sarah GRAHAM, Monash University (VIC), WNBL: Logan Thunder
Emma LANGFORD, University of Wyoming (USA)
Amy LEWIS, University of Ballarat (VIC), WNBL: Townsville Fire
Lauren MANSFIELD, Midland Junior College Texas (USA)
Mia NEWLEY, Flinders University (SA), WNBL: Adelaide Lightning
Elyse PENALUNA, Box Hill Tafe (VIC), WNBL: Bulleen Boomers
Chantella PERERA, Deakin University (VIC), WNBL: Canberra Capitals
Sally POTOCKI, Southern Cross University (NSW), WNBL: Sydney Uni Flames (MANLY WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES WABL)
Alyce SHEARING, Troy University (USA)
Kiera SHIELS, University of Sydney (NSW), WNBL: Sydney Uni Flames (HORNSBY SPIDERS WABL)
Marianna TOLO, University of Canberra (ACT), WNBL: Canberra Capitals
Louella TOMLINSON, St. Marys College of California (USA)

Australian Universities Men's Basketball Team:
Benjamin ALLEN, St. Marys College of California (USA)
Ryan BATHIE, Nicholls State University (USA)
Anatoly BOSE, Nicholls State University (USA) (NORTHERN SUBURBS JNR)
Benjamin CONGIUSTA, University of Tennessee at Martin (USA) (SUTHERLAND SHARKS JNR)
Andrew HARMS, Monash University (VIC), SEABL: Frankston Bears
Carlin HUGHES, St. Marys College of California (USA)
Ben MADGEN, Augusta State University (USA)
Nate TOMLINSON, University of Colorado (USA) (SUTHERLAND SHARKS JNR)
Cameron TOVEY, Curtin University of Technology (QLD), NBL: Townsville Crocs (SUTHERLAND SHARKS WABL 2007)
Gregory VANDERJAGT, Central Qld. University (QLD), NBL: Gold Coast Blaze
Jesse WAGSTAFF, Metropolitan State College (USA)
Cameron WITT, Valparaiso University (USA)

For more representative, club and wheelchair basketball news go to: http://sportslive.com.au/index.pl?page=288

Sutherland Sharks have good week in Premier Youth League

In seven matches played over the last week, the Sutherland Sharks Premier Youth League teams have picked up 5 wins, a draw and only one loss to the 13s. Games were played against Sydney Olympic last weekend with the 14s and 15s taking on NSW Institute of Sport teams on May 6. 

Following these matches, the Sharks 14s are best placed of the local teams sitting in 3rd spot. The 15s are 5th in their competition while next best for the Sharks are the 18s who are 6th.

Results of Round 10 between the Sutherland Sharks and Sydney Olympic were:
Under 13: Sutherland Sharks lost 3 - 1
Under 14: Sutherland Sharks won 3 nil
Under 15: Sutherland Sharks won 3 - 1
Under 16: Sutherland Sharks drew nil all
Under 18: Sutherland Sharks won 1 nil

Also during the previous week the Sharks played the NSW Institute of Sport in the under 14s winning 3 nil. The Sharks 15s also defeated the Institute’s side 2 nil.

Next Saturday May 16, the Sutherland Sharks Premier Youth League teams stay at home at Seymour Shaw Park to take on Penrith Nepean United. The matches begin with the under 13s at 9am.

After 10 rounds the Sutherland Sharks senior team is in 4th position on the NSW Premier League ladder.

Other Sutherland Sharks Premier Youth League Reports can be found at: http://theshire.sportslive.com.au/index.pl?page=3476

More details on the Premier Youth and Senior League results can be found at http://www.soccernsw.com.au/index.php?id=78

You can still Register for Sydney’s World Masters Games:

Over 6700 people have registered for the World Masters games in Sydney on October 10 -18, 2009. Over 28 sports will cater for participants of varying standards and ages. For example, tennis has singles, doubles and mixed doubles in ten year age brackets from 30+ to 80+ with A grade for competition players and B grade for social players and beginners.

Registrations close on July 31. For more details go to the World Games web site: http://www.2009worldmasters.com/default.aspx

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